Multiple access furniture chest

ABSTRACT

The multiple access chest provides a user with flexibility to access contents of the chest using various access points. The chest allows opening to the fullest extend allowing the user to easily find the desired contents without effort. The multiple access chest also permits modular attachment to other chests such as chest draws and accessories such as mats. The multiple access chest may be used as a furniture chest, toy chest, or baby changing table depending on the attachments used. The multiple access chest also allows various design configuration and frontal designs on the face of the draws and knobs.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/107,284 filed Jan. 23, 2015, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A multiple access furniture chest is disclosed having multiple access openings to allow a user to store and remove items more easily and effectively without the need of removing all the contents in the chest. The multiple access chest further contains rotating front, back and top parts to allow full access to the floor of the chest. The chest also allows flexibility in building modular additional chest parts and accessories.

Furniture chest and in particular toy chests are well known in the art. The prior chests typically allow access from the top of the chest to allow a user to store and remove contents. Some chests, in particular toy chest have novelty features such as looking like a particular sporting good or character. These chests although entertaining for the child user, still have drawbacks of allowing a child to access the contents of the chest. Similarly, elderly that have limited mobility to bend over and reach into a chest have limited ability to pull an article out of a furniture chest or other such store bin.

Thus young and old users both have a need for a furniture or toy chest with better access to the chest's contents. Further there remains a need in the art for a chest to allow modular access so that multiple pieces of a chest may be put together and designed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide improvements in chests to allow better access to its contents. It is therefore a further object of the present disclosure to provide improvements in the modular mobility of the chest so that a chest may be designed to better suit the need of the user.

These and other objects are attained by providing a chest having multiple access openings. The disclosed chest allows full access to the floor of the chest without comprising structural integrity of the chest to hold contents. The Chest further allows multiple pieces to be combined with it allowing a user to design a chest to suit the user's individual functional, and in some cases only a user's aesthetic and non-functional needs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further objects and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a multiple access chest illustrating the present disclosure, with elements allowing modular addition of other components.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of an additional chest component that may be combined with the chest shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2B is a perspective view of an additional component that may be combined with the chest in either FIG. 1 or FIG. 2A or combined with both chests in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the chest shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the chest shown in FIG. 1 and the chest shown in FIG. 2A assembled together.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the assembled chests shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the chest shown in FIG. 1 being fully opened.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the chest shown in FIG. 5 with the addition of a mat component on the top chest.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the chest shown in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views, one sees that FIG. 1 is a perspective chest 10. Chest 10 is formed from natural or man-made material such as but not limited to polymeric material or similar material as would be known to those skilled in the art. The chest 10 includes a floor portion 11 and a front 12 connected rotatably thereto. Depending on the embodiment, the chest 10 may utilize brackets 19 to connect portions of the chest or other rotable hinges pins 23 or the like. Variations of this hinge design is possible, for example, and may include locking mechanisms such as shown in male and female locking mechanism 18 and 22 respectively.

The chest 10 further has a back 13 that is also rotably connected to floor 11. Back 13 is further connected rotably to top 16. Further attached to floor 11 is left side 14 and right side 15. The right and left sides are fixable connected to floor 11 but depending on the embodiment may also be rotably connected to the floor 11. Depending on the embodiment a dashpot 17 may be connected to one or more front top, back or sides to allow opening in a controlled manner. There may be one or more connection ports 21 on legs 44 to allow the chest to be combined with other components as the user desires.

Further shown in FIG. 1 are pols 42 attached to the ends of front 12. Pols 42 define an open area 41 to allow air to flow in and out of the chest when all the multiple accesses are closed, such as front back and top, and in some cases sides. Further top legs 44 creates side open area 43 to also allow air to pass in and out of the chest. This allows aeration in the chest and decreases chances of mold or mildew to form in the chest 10.

Adverting to FIG. 2A, shown is an additional component or draw chest 20. Draw chest 20 contains one or more draws 27 having knobs 28. Knobs 28 may be decorated by various indicia or designs (not shown) to accent the draw chest for fashion or aesthetic purposes. In addition absent the accent portions of the knob, the draw chest also provides additional aesthetic features such as front base 32 side, base 29, and legs 33 as well as front of draw 27. Also on the chest 20 is base 31. Base 31 may be connected to the bottom of floor 11. Attachment may be done through the use of one or more posts 24 that attached to connection port 21. Strap connectors may or may not be attached to base 31. The chest 20 may be utilized as itself and combined with cushion 30. Cushion 30 may also be attached to chest 10 and place on top 16. Further all pieces cushion 30, chest 10, and draw chest 30 may be assembled together respectively to form assembly 40.

Cushion 30 in FIG. 2B includes a cushion 34, and recess portion 35. The recess portion is to prevent items from falling off the cushion. The cushion may be made of a machine washable material and/or include a removable sleeve (not shown) that may be wrapped over the cushion and removed for washing. Preferably the cushion is made of a water resistant material to allow use as a changing table.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the chest 10. Shown in this embodiment is dashpot 17. The function of dashpot 17 is to slow down and control the opening and closing of any access opening on the multiple opening chest. Dashpot 17 has an arm 46 that is attached to a connector 45. Connector 45 may be mounted to the right or left side wall or both depending on the embodiment. Further, the dash pot may be connected to any of the opening access portions. For example the dash pot may be connected to back 13 and top 16 to control the opening of those access portions. In addition, dashpot 17 may be connected to floor 11 and back 13 to control that access opening. Also shown is locking mechanism 18 on the top portion 16 and front portion 12. Depending on the embodiment both portions may be commonly secured to the same locking mechanism 22.

FIG. 4 is a front view of chest 10 and chest 20 combined. Shown is front portion 12 in the opened position. In the closed position locking mechanism 18 and 22 may be utilized to secure the related portions. Also shown in this figure is top 16 in the open position. Front 12 is held in position by dashpot 17. However as seed from top 16, a dashpot may not be utilized and a portion of access may still be held open. For the top portion brackets 19 hold the top portion in position.

FIG. 5 illustrates chest 10 connected with draw chest 20. Both the front portion 12 and top portion 16 are in the open position. Any of the access portions may be opened individually or all together, or in any combination. Shown in FIG. 6 is top 12, back 13 and top 16 all in the open position. This allows full access to floor 11 and the contents of chest 10 that allows a user ease of access to the chest's contents. Sides 14 and 15 may also be deployed to open giving an even more fuller access to the contents in the chest 10.

Shown in FIG. 7 is a typical example of assembly 40 with mat assembly 30 connected by straps 26 to strap connectors 25 disposed on top 167. Chest 10 is connected to draw chest 20. The top 16 and from 12 are in the open position for access to floor 11.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the side view of the assembly 40 shown in FIG. 7. In the closed position for top 16, cushion 34 of mat assembly 30 may be utilized as a changing table or other means.

There are several advantages to the disclosed multiple access chest. The modular nature of the chest allows a user to mix and match components to suit the user's needs and/or design preferences. Further the ability to have multiple access points to a chest 10, allows the user ease of access and a unique ability to quickly obtain items from the chest without undue physical exertions or searching time.

Thus the several aforementioned objects and advantages are most effectively attained. Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it should be understood that this invention is in no sense limited thereby and its scope is to be determined by that of the appended claims. Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention.

It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. A multiple access chest, comprising: a floor portion, a top portion, a front portion and two side portions, wherein at least two of the foregoing portions are movable portions and allowed to open for access to the floor portion, and the movable portions are allowed to move in any direction.
 2. The multiple access chest of claim 1, wherein the floor portion and side portions are fixed.
 3. The multiple access chest of claim 1, wherein the top portion, and front portion are the moveable portions.
 4. The multiple access chest of claim 3 wherein the back portion is also the movable portion.
 5. The multiple access chest of claim 1, further including a dashpot attached to the front portion and at least one of the side portions for controlling opening of the front portion.
 6. The multiple access chest of claim 1 further including a mat assembly removably connected to the top portion.
 7. The multiple access chest of claim 6 wherein the mat assembly includes a cushion and a recess portion to prevent objects from moving off the mat assembly.
 8. The multiple access chest of claim 1 further including a draw chest connected to the floor portion.
 9. The multiple access chest of claim 1 the side portion has legs and the legs have connection ports.
 10. The multiple access chest of claim 8, wherein the draw chest has a base and the base has post for attaching the draw chest to the multiple access chest.
 11. The multiple access chest of claim 8, wherein the draw chest has draws and knobs, the knobs formed to provide various knob designs on the draws.
 12. The multiple access chest of claim 1 wherein the top portion and the front portion have male locking mechanisms to secure the portions together.
 13. The multiple access chest of claim 12, wherein a female locking mechanism is disposed on the side portions.
 14. The multiple access chest of claim 12, wherein both the top portion and the front portion lock together in the same locking mechanism.
 15. The multiple access chest of claim 12, wherein the top portion and the front portion are connected to the side portions through only rotating pins. 